Father of boy who died in squalor pleads guilty to neglect charges

The father of a five-year-old boy who died after cutting his foot on rubbish in his family's squalid Melbourne home has pleaded guilty to neglect charges.

The man, 43, said "Guilty, your honour" in a quiet voice when asked by a magistrate on Wednesday how he pleaded to two charges of reckless conduct endangering serious injury and one count of failing to register the birth of a child.

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The couple's son died days after cutting his big toe on an open can of cat food that was discarded in the house and was piled among junk, food scraps and other filth in the family's home, according to court documents.

The boy suffered a three-centimetre cut when he stepped on the can, the documents say, and after falling ill in the following days, he was discovered lifeless in his bedroom by his mother on August 1, 2012.

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He was taken to an ambulance branch office but could not be revived by paramedics.

One paramedic said in a statement to police that the boy had grey, mottled skin when he was brought to them and that he had a filthy bandage wrapped around his foot.

According to court documents, the boy had a headache and sore neck the night before he died, and was heard by his older brother calling for help and looking "very, very, very sick".

The court had previously heard toxicology reports have been unable to determine how the boy died.

Statements given to police say tetanus could have been a cause, botulism could not be excluded and food poisoning was possible. Other statements say E.coli was detected on the boy's toe, under a dirty bandage.

The names of the couple and their son have been suppressed to protect the identity of the couple's other son, who was eight at the time of his brother's death.

Police photographs from inside the house, in Melbourne's north-western suburbs, show rooms piled with waste, and food, mould and faeces splattered across furniture and appliances.

One police officer described the state of the house in the hand-up brief as being in a "state of extreme squalor".

Court documents show police visited the family's house at least twice before the boy died, following complaints by neighbours, and child-protection workers were also informed over concerns for the safety of the two boys.

The boy who died was born at home, was never immunised or enrolled in school or kindergarten and only really had contact with his immediate family members, court documents say.

The older boy is understood to be living with extended family.

The death of the five-year-old and the state of the house he was living in has shocked police and court officials, and prompted an investigation by Bernie Geary, the principal commissioner of the Commission for Children and Young People.

Details about the case were also conveyed to the office of Community Services Minister Mary Wooldridge. The State Coroner is expected to investigate later this year.

Magistrate Charlie Rozencwajg on Wednesday ordered the boy's father to appear before the County Court for a plea hearing on June 2.